Costa Mesa's Viola Smith--A Living Legend
By Chris MacDonald
Viola Smith, nearly 103, received a Mayor's Proclamation from Costa Mesa Chief Executive Officer Tom Hatch for being a living legend at a special tribute Oct. 31 at the Orange County Marketplace.
Smith, America's most famous female drummer, has been on the cover of Billboard, on Broadway in "Cabaret," on the Ed Sullivan TV Show (5 times), in the movies with Abbott and Costello ("Here Come the Co-Eds") and toured the country with bands for years.
The energetic Costa Mesa resident performed on "The Night of Stars" in New York's Paramount Theatre with Ella Fitzgerald and Bob Hope. "It was really fantastic," she said glowingly. "When I was appearing in the Jigg's Club on 52nd St, Benny Goodman came up to me and said, "I really love the way you play drum. You do it so well!'"
Woody Herman was so impressed with her skills he asked Viola to play with his "Thundering Herd" but she turned him down to continue playing with an all female orchestra. (If you go to YouTube.com and type in her name, you can see her fabulous percussion talent as she plays energetically in 1940.)
"Oh, those were the days," she said with a twinkle in her eye. "After our shows, all the musicians on 52nd St. got together for dinner. It was so much fun. Sometimes I'd sit with Frank Sinatra in a booth. We'd meet all the musicians and singers."
Viola's been playing drum since her father formed an orchestra with his 8 daughters in Wisconsin. "He told each of us what instrument to play and thank goodness he gave me drums," said the star of the Schmitz Sisters, Smith Sisters and Phil Spitalny's Hour of Charm Orchestra. At 12, she started touring throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Iowa.
Other musicians were so impressed they called Viola, "The Female Gene Krupa" (one of the top drummers). She never lost her groove. At age 63, she was still a big headliner in Atlantic City. In Costa Mesa she's even teaching another woman, Shivaun Chism the tricks of the trade about drumming.
And she recently appeared with "America's Oldest Act of Professional Entertainers"--Forever Young at the Orange County Marketplace. Viola was interviewed on stage by former MGM dancer, Sid Hallburn, who turns 92 this month. Other Forever Young performers applauding the vivacious Viola were Banjoist Fr. Christian Mondor, 90; USO Singer and Dancer, Polly Sloan, 90; Saxaphonist Jim Flagherty, 90 and Guitarist/Humorist Dr. Tom Penderghast, a retired Pepperdine University professor.